Gentlemen, what are your views on the long-term development trends of the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries in the future?

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From a chemical perspective, the main difference between oil, gas, and coal lies in their hydrocarbon ratios: coal is composed almost entirely of carbon atoms, oil can be approximated as CH2, while natural gas is CH4. Hydrogen has a high calorific value and is more suitable as a fuel, while carbon is more suitable as a structural material; in other words, hydrogen is used for fuel and carbon for materials. In terms of the downstream uses of oil, coal gas, fuel consumption accounts for over 80%, while materials account for only 15–20%; thus, its energy-related properties determine the price of oil and coal gas. Due to their different hydrogen contents, the energy density of oil and gas is significantly higher than that of coal, being about 3 times greater. Moreover, oil is in liquid form, and after simple processing it can be used in transportation sectors such as automobiles; its applications are of a higher quality and difficult to replace. Coal and natural gas, on the other hand, are primarily used for power generation and urban gas supply, which is why oil commands a higher price than gas. Overall, oil and gas are more suitable as fuels, while coal is more suitable as a raw material for the chemical industry. Yet in reality, organic chemical raw materials worldwide have always been based on petroleum, to the point that they are often equated with petrochemicals.